


Honey

by DonTheRock



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Camping, F/F, LGBTQ Themes, Love, No Smut, Questioning, Romance, Teen Romance, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:55:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23811940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DonTheRock/pseuds/DonTheRock
Summary: To celebrate the start of summer, the East High drama club goes to the Caswells' cabin for a bonding trip in the woods. While there, a scavenger hunt pairs Gina Porter and Nini Salazar-Roberts together, leading them to get closer than they ever thought they would.
Relationships: Gina Porter/Nini Salazar-Roberts, Gini – Relationship, Ricky Bowen/E.J. Caswell
Comments: 23
Kudos: 71





	1. Chapter 1

**Gina's POV**

"I just wanted to say," Miss Jenn starts, "it has been an honour being your drama teacher for this year, and I hope to see all of you who aren't graduating back again for the next winter musical."

Although our last drama club meeting was a few weeks ago, we all wanted to come back to the bomb shelter for one last goodbye before leaving. It's strange but in a good way. Previous school years, I've always left right after the last bell, knowing I probably was just going to move away from everyone anyway, but this year I can thank Ashlyn's family for making it so that I can stay in Salt Lake. I'm going to live with my mom for most of the summer, but I'll be able to come back in the fall, and that's an amazing feeling. 

Miss Jenn begins tearing up as she says, "I love you all."

A few people sound, "Aww," and soon Steph and Nini are the first on their feet, going over to hug Miss Jenn. A few more join the hug, and then some more, until the whole drama club is smothering her in a huge group embrace. After backing up, we stay standing around her, and Miss Jenn is wiping the tears from her eyes. 

"Sorry," she says. "I don't usually get emotional, but that's the power of the theatre." She dabs her eye again then sees the mascara on her finger. "I'm gonna just go clean up. You kids enjoy the mingling, and don't forget to eat the snacks."

She rushes out of the room, leaving the rest of us on our feet together. It's almost surreal seeing all the faces of the people I call my friends. I've never had friends like this before, and I want to keep this feeling going. I wish theatre club could keep going during the summer, but I know that's unrealistic. 

"I'm really gonna miss you guys," Kourtney says. 

"Me too," Big Red joins in. "I never thought I'd like theatre, but now I couldn't imagine my junior year without it."

"We all definitely have to keep in touch during the summer," Lauryn says. 

"We could start a group chat!" Seb suggests. 

"And then we can send each other memes," Big Red adds. 

"I'm just not ready for the year to be over," I speak up. 

Beside me, Nini gives me a gentle smile. We've become friends since resolving our issues, but we're still not best friends or anything, so smiles and small talk are usually as much as we ever exchange. I should be fine with that, but sometimes I wish we could do more like hang out and stuff.

"Hey," Natalie Bagley suddenly cuts in, "what if we had, like, a huge thing before we left? Like a camping trip?"

There are a lot of yeses from the group, but one no stand out. 

"Nuh uh," Carlos responds. "I've been known to sleep dance, and that gets dangerous when I'm out in the woods."

"Come on," Ricky says. "Camping is fun. I go all the time."

"Then you can write my eulogy when I dance off a cliff in the middle of the night," Carlos replies. 

"Wait, what if we didn't sleep outside?" Ashlyn says, stepping forward. "My parents have a cabin in the forest. There are enough rooms for all of us to stay there."

"That's perfect!" Natalie cheers. 

"So we're doing a group cabin camping trip?" EJ says. "That'll make such a good vlog."

Ashlyn glances at her cousin but doesn't comment on what he said. Instead, she just looks to the group again, saying, "Cool. Once we have that group chat, we can plan the details."

"This is gonna be so great!" Natalie says. 

As the group starts to disperse, I notice Nini and Kourtney retreat to the opposite end of the room from Ricky and Big Red who come to talk with me and Ashlyn. Ricky and Nini broke up just less than a week ago, which I heard all about from Ricky, but it's weird seeing them actively avoiding each other. I guess I shouldn't care, since it has nothing to do with me. I just find myself looking at her a lot now, probably because I want to be her friend. I don't know if should want to be friends with my friend's ex, but I kind of do anyway. Although, she doesn't talk to me that much anyway, so I guess it doesn't matter. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello. This was so hard to write, because it's a very necessary but not very interesting part of the story that sets it all in motion. I just hope you will stick around to read the rest, because I have a lot of little cute ideas. Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

**Gina's POV**

EJ comes to a stop within seconds of putting on the breaks. If I weren't used to his driving, I would probably be scared, but this is just EJ. He tends to pay too much attention to the scenery around him and not the trees right in front of us, but he always stops in time. 

As I climb out from the back seat, a dirt cloud blows up into my face, making me have to close my eyes, but when I open them again, it's like a grand reveal of the long wooden cabin in the middle of the trees. A porch wraps around the whole front, with stairs going down to a fire pit on the side. The windows stretch up from the ground like doorways for the light to get inside to the ground floor, and tree branches brush the points of the roof with their green needles. The way it's tucked inside its own canopy of trees makes it feel like it's completely isolated from the rest of the world, but I know there's another cabin just a bit up the dirt road. 

"Welcome to our cabin," Ashlyn says as she passes by me.

She heads toward the back of the car to start unloading the belongings there. After finishing soaking up the beauty of the location, I go over to help her out. EJ pulls out a few lawn chairs while Ashlyn takes the three bicycles out one by one. 

"So what are the bikes for?" I ask. "You said it was important that everybody brings one."

"It is," Ashlyn says, "and you'll find out why later."

"I don't get a sneak peak because I live with you?" 

She smiles but shakes her head. "I want to wait until everybody's here. But basically, it's this thing that EJ and I always do when we're here."

"It makes for great Insta posts," EJ says with a smile. 

"Awesome," I respond with a chuckle. "What do you want me to carry?"

She grabs a bag of graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows and passes it to me. 

"Will you take this in and just set it down in the kitchen?" 

"Sure," I say. 

I grab my own bag of clothes and things to bring along in my free hand before turning to go up to the door. As I approach, EJ is in the midst of unlocking it. and when he gets it open, he holds the door for me. 

"Thanks," I say.

The doorway opens up into a large, open-concept living room with a kitchen and dining table at the back. The walls show the lines of the wood used to make them, and the ground is decorated with several rugs, all with colourful, bohemian-style patterns. I bring the bag of food over to the kitchen where a light made of dangling, glass crystals hangs over an island. It looks like something out of Ashlyn's dreams. On the cabinets, hand-painted flowers sparkle each corner, and a stone countertop gives the final touch. 

Ashlyn appears next to me as she sets down another bag of food. She opens the refridgerator and starts unloading raw hot dogs and fruit trays into the fridge, but as when she opens up one compartment, she picks out a can of grape pop. 

"Does pop expire?" she wonders.

"I doubt it. Isn't it just, like, water and acid?"

"Cool, then we have some pop already."

She places the can back into the compartment and closes it before finishing putting the rest of the food into the fridge. 

"So do you guys come here a lot?" I ask her. 

"Yeah," Ashlyn replies. "EJ's family comes here with mine, and we spend weekends here in the summer whenever both our parents can get it off. We've had this place since I was six or seven I think. Me and EJ would always try to climb the trees together or catch butterflies. Sometimes we took our pool floaties and rode them down the stairs over there."

She nods behind me toward a straight staircase that leads from the second floor right down into an open space.

"Why did you have pool floaties?" I ask. 

"For the lake nearby," Ashlyn explains. "There's a lot of stuff near here actually. We're in the middle of, like, three towns. There are maps of the area on the counter over there."

"What about the bedrooms? Where should I take my stuff?"

"I'll show you."

She winds around the island and leads me up the stairs. The hallway is thin, so we have to walk single file. Four doorways stand in a line on the left, each gating a room with a queen bed, a dresser, and some other random things that have been left here. 

"I always stay in this one," Ashlyn explains, stepping into the second doorway. "There's only space for two people on the beds, so one person will have to take the floor in each room, but there are people bringing their own sleeping bags, so that'll be fine."

"I don't have a sleeping bag," I say. 

"That's fine," Ashlyn assures me. "Natalie is going to be rooming with us, and she's taking the floor. I already promised her she could, so I hope that's okay."

"That's totally okay," I say. 

"Great. Well, I'm gonna go finish bringing things in before the others get here."

"Cool," I say, setting my personal bag down inside the room before turning back to Ashlyn. "I'll help."

______________________________________

**Nini's POV**

Kourtney's eyes flip back and forth between her GPS and the road as she steers. I offered to help navigate, but she argued that we always get lost when I navigate, so she doesn't trust me to direct her anymore. That is fair. One time when we were trying to get to school, I accidentally lead her in the opposite direction, out of the city instead. 

"This is gonna be awesome," Kourtney says. "I was not up for camping, so this will be a happy mix between outdoors and indoors."

"I like camping," I say. "My moms and would always tell spooky stories and sing campfire songs."

"Girl, you can do that in a backyard. You do not need to risk getting eaten by a bear."

I laugh and glance out at the trees. They pass by my window in a green blur as we drive, and I can smell them from inside the car. 

"Are you gonna be okay being with Ricky for the next three days?" Kourtney asks, changing the topic. 

I've been avoiding thinking about Ricky, so I haven't put much thought into the fact that I'll be hanging around him in the same house this whole time. It's not that things ended badly. it's just…awkward. 

"I'm just going to try to keep my distance, and it should be no problem," I reply. 

"That's good. And if you ever need a reason to get away from him, just give me a sign, and I will get you out of there."

I smile. "Thanks, Kourtney, but I think it should be fine."

"It's new, so if you ever need to talk, I'm here for you. Break-ups are hard."

"Yeah," I agree, "but it's not like he or I did anything. This one is so different than my break-ups before. Those times, the boy always did something to make me break up with him. This time, Ricky wasn't the problem. I just… It stopped feeling real. It was like I was pretending. And I still feel kind of bad about it all."

"Don't feel bad, girl," Kourtney says. "You should be in a relationship because it makes you happy, so if it doesn't, then you have to end it. You deserve happiness, and Ricky just doesn't give you that anymore."

"Yeah," I say. "You're right. Thanks."

"It's what I do. Now let's talk about something more positive, like how cool this place is!"

I look over at the building as she parks. It's bigger than I imagined, but just as woodsy. The best part is that it's just going to be the theatre club, without parents, because they trusted that we were responsible enough to go alone. It's just a shame not all of the club could be here, but a lot are. 

After grabbing my bags from the car and leaning my bike against the others outside on the grass, I go inside to see my friends all sitting around in the living room. It looks like Kourtney and I are the last ones here. Ashlyn, Gina and EJ were here first for sure. But Ricky, Big Red, Carlos, Seb, Steph, Rico, and Natalie all managed to beat us too. Right away, I'm greeted by all their faces, and a second later, Ashlyn calls for everyone's attention. 

"Okay, great. Nini and Kourtney are here. Now I can tell you what EJ and I thought we could all do."

"Finally," Carlos says. "Patience is not one of my strengths."

"We don't have to do it, but I thought it'd be really fun," Ashlyn says. "It's like a photo scavenger hunt thing. We all pair up, and we get a list of different photos we have to take with different places or things in them, and then at the end, we all go through and share the photos and vote on who has the best ones. That's why I told you all to bring bikes, because it helps for getting around places."

"That sounds like a lot of fun," I say. 

"Yeah, let's do it," Ricky agrees. 

I make the mistake of looking over, and we make eye contact for a split second before I return my focus back to Ashlyn, feeling my stomach twist. I want to stay friends with Ricky, but I also know he wants more than that, and there's still that layer of discomfort coating every interaction we have. 

Ashlyn smiles. "Awesome! Um, we usually like to start it in the morning and do it the whole day, so we can just hang out for the rest of tonight. Actually, EJ and I have pizza being delivered soon. That's the good thing about not actually camping. But I did make the teams already, and I'm really excited for it, so I'll just tell you those now."

We all wait as she takes out her phone and unlocks it to start reading off her list. 

"Okay, so it'll be Ricky and Big Red, EJ and Rico, Kourtney and Seb, me and Carlos, Steph and Natalie, and lastly, Gina and Nini."

Everybody looks around to their partners, happy with the list, but I'm pretty indifferent. I look across the room to where Gina gives me a smile. She always used to intimidate me when I first met her, because she was so good at dancing and singing and everything really. I've gotten over most of that, but I still can't ignore how pretty she is. That intimidation is part of why I don't really talk to her that often, so this will be interesting. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. I hope you liked this chapter. I did. I'm excited for the rest. I hope you all have a lovely day. Goodbye.


	3. Chapter 3

**Gina's POV**

The peculiar thing about the subconscious is it makes people do beautiful things without knowing. It makes you hum a song in your head, sway to a tune, or smile at someone you like. It gives away signs of what you're keeping hidden behind a fence, like tree branches spilling over into the neighbour's yard. It's an unfiltered, raw representation of you, and it captivates those around, because it's rare to witness the honesty that the subconscious gives, so missing it once might mean missing it entirely. It's little actions that are simple yet so vibrant to me. 

She brushes her hair behind her ear, letting her fingers fall through the strands as they come back down to her lap. Her other hand plays with the sleeve of her hoodie, acting as an involuntary aid for her focus. Even the way her feet are pointed, facing her friend, says something. And the way I fall into thought over her like mist on a rainforest, being pulled by the current she creates, that's something I can't quite comprehend. 

"Gina?" Ashlyn says, interrupting my daydream. 

I bring my attention back on her. "Yeah?"

"Why were you looking at Nini?" Another trick of the subconscious. I didn't realize it had been longer than a second. 

"No reason," I reply.

Currently, everyone is sitting outside, some on the wooden benches, and others on the grass, while we eat the pizza that was delivered from the town just north of here. Seb has his playlist of songs from various musicals playing over a tiny speaker on the edge of the porch, setting the atmosphere for all of us to talk and hang out. I'm with Ashlyn on a bench, currently trying to avoid getting pizza grease on my jean skirt. 

"Hey, um, can I ask you a question?" I say after a second. "Why did you pair me with Nini?"

"Oh, well, I just thought you two would get along well," Ashlyn explains. "I know you don't talk to her that much, but you should. She's really nice."

"Yeah, I know."

I glance over at her again. Now Kourtney, who was previously sitting with Nini, has left to do something, leaving Nini alone on the bench. 

"Hey, I'm gonna use the washroom," Ashlyn says. "I'll be right back."

She places her plate down where she was sitting and gets up. While she's gone, I look back at Nini, wondering how long Kourtney will be gone for. After another moment, I put down my own plate and start walking over. Nini's eyebrows rise in surprise as I sit down, but she still smiles. 

"Hey, Gina. What's up?"

To be honest, I don't really know. I just didn't like seeing her sitting alone, even though she's not really alone, because there are a bunch of other people around chatting together, but none are talking to her, so it felt like she was alone to me. 

"Wanted to know if we have a game plan for tomorrow," I say, since that's the only valid reason I can think of. "Are you good at scavenger hunts?"

"Normally, no," she responds with a slight laugh, "because I'm awful at riddles, but I don't see how a photo scavenger hunt could have riddles, so hopefully I'll be better at this."

"Your Instagram has some really good photos, so I think you'll definitely give us an advantage for the photography part."

She smiles, saying, "Thanks."

"I'm not good at taking aesthetic photos like you are, so I apologize in advanced, since you'll probably have to be doing most of that work."

"Well, you'll make a very good model for me to take photos of," she replies. 

That makes me smile a little, although I would argue that she should be the centre of every image we take. She so photogenic. I've literally never seen a bad picture of her. Me, on the other hand, there are plenty of bad pictures of. 

"I don't look that good in photos," I respond.

"Please. You're gorgeous. I wish I were half as pretty as you."

"You are four times as pretty as me," I say. 

She smiles and lets her eyes wander over my face for a moment before saying, "I...don't believe that's possible."

All of a sudden, Kourtney shows up, and I realize I wasn't breathing. She glances between Nini and me before squeezing into the space between us on the bench. 

"Hey, Gina," she says, "What are you two talking about?"

"Just the scavenger hunt," Nini answers. 

Then I see Ashlyn coming back from inside, and I stand up, saying, "I'm gonna go back with Ashlyn again."

"Sure," Kourtney responds. "See you."

As I walk away, I glance over my shoulder, but Nini's looking away at Kourtney. Part of me is a bit disappointed, although I don't understand why. She's never looked at me. Why would she suddenly start now?

_________________________________________

**Nini's POV**

The list reads as follows:

1\. A picture with a view.  
2\. A picture with a bird.  
3\. A picture in a tree.  
4\. A picture by water.  
5\. A picture with a boat.   
6\. A picture in bizarre outfits.  
7\. A picture with a weird antique item.  
8\. A picture with food.   
9\. A picture with a stranger.  
10\. A picture with flowers.

"You all have maps of the area, right?" Ashlyn checks, and the group nods. "Great. So remember that this isn't a speed competition. It's a photo competition, so make them good."

"I'm so excited to see them all," Steph says from the side. 

"Good luck to you guys," EJ says. "You'll need it to beat me and Rico."

Rico and him share an overly-aggressive high five, showing off their confidence, but I'm not exactly intimidated by EJ's photos. I've seen them. The only pictures he knows how to take are mirror selfies of him in his water polo suit. It was hot when we were dating, but now I could do without seeing that in my Instagram feed. 

"Okay, is everybody ready?" Ashlyn asks, and there are no denials, so she takes that as a yes. "Awesome! We'll meet back here in the evening."

Everybody takes off on their bikes. I watch Rico have to convince EJ to wear a helmet. As I go over to get my own bike, I see Gina getting on hers. It's a lime green bike with a lot of scratches on the beams, suggesting that it's been ridden a lot. Mine is opposite of that. It's a plain white road bike, looking new in condition. It basically is. I've had it for three years, but I hardly ever ride it. I have enough friends who drive that it was never needed. 

"You ready?" Gina asks me. 

I clip on my own helmet and pull up beside her on my bike. She grips her handle bars in a way that makes the sunlight gleam over her knuckles and up her arms, the glow stopping only at the sleeves of her cropped, blue T-shirt. Looking at her bare arms makes me question if I put on sunscreen this morning. I'm pretty sure I did. I really hope so, because my red tank top doesn't do much to protect me from UV rays, so I'll definitely burn if I didn't. I probably should've put some in my backpack to bring with me, but I have my wallet in there, so I can always buy some if I need to.

"Yeah," I reply. "Pretty sure. What do you want to start with?"

She opens the list on her phone and looks through it again. "We could start with one, the picture with a view."

"Um, if that involves biking uphill, I'd kind of like to warm up a bit before then," I say.

"Okay," she says. "How about we go downhill and start with a picture by water?"

"Sure. The easy place for that is the lake."

"Yes, but everyone will be there," Gina replies. "Let's try somewhere else."

"You have the map, so if you lead, I'll follow."

She grins and kicks down on her peddle, starting off down the dirt road. I chase after her, but soon she slows down, and I'm able to get up to roll alongside her. She gives me another glance, her smile glowing, before returning her eyes ahead. Keeping my pace steady, I do my best to stay close to her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello. I know this isn't too exciting still, but I promise it's getting there. It's definitely going to be a slow burn, even though it's gonna happen over the course of just a few days in the story. I'm really excited to get into it more. I hope you will all stay to get there too. Love you.


	4. Chapter 4

**Gina's POV**

The wind rustles the leaves of the trees around us, and twigs snap beneath my tires as we roll down a thin dirt path. It's nowhere near as smooth as the road was, so I have to brace myself for the jolt every time there's a rock sticking out of the soil. I hear the river like TV static getting louder the closer we get.

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Nini checks. 

"Yes," I say. "We're almost there."

Two minutes later, I reach a steep drop in the path and hop off my bike. I glance back at Nini who's still looking unsure, but she follows me as I start walking my bike down. Then the tree branches lift up, unveiling the river. It must be four times as wide as a road, but there's a small island of trees splitting it in the middle, blocking the larger part of the river from sight, so what we see is only a thin stripe of rushing water. Nobody else is around here. It's just us and Mother Nature. 

Nini gazes around in wonder before saying, "I didn't see this on the map."

"It wasn't," I respond. "I found it on Google Satellite."

She smiles a little, saying, "Is that cheating?"

"I think it's just being resourceful," I counter.

Nini sets down her bike sideways on the grass, and I lay mine next to hers. She strolls out to where the rocks begin to dip down into the water, stopping before her shoes can get wet. Then she points up the river at a log that bridges over the river across to the island. 

"That's a good place for a picture," she says.

While she tosses down her backpack and runs over there, I get out my phone and open up the camera. She climbs up and carefully walks across into the centre of the log. The breeze blows her hair over her face as she spins to face me, and she has to reach up to brush it out of the way. The log is only actually wide enough for her feet, so every time she wobbles, I flinch, not wanting to see her fall. But she's not worried about falling. Instead, she spreads her arms out like an eagle and gives me a big smile. Right after I press the button to take the photo, I hold for a moment, noticing the way the sunlight sparkles off the tip of Nini's nose and lights up the pink of her cheeks. She really is stunning. Honestly, I don't think I've ever met anyone as pretty as her. 

"Did you get it?" Nini asks, which snaps me back to reality.

"Uh, yeah."

I expect Nini to come back down off the log, but rather than doing that, she waves for me to come up. 

"Uh, no, thanks," I say. 

"Oh, come on," she insists. 

"My balance isn't that great." Actually, it isn't bad on a regular day, but right now, my legs kind of feel like they won't be able to hold me up straight. 

"Really?" Nini replies. "Didn't you do, like, a thousand years of gymnastics? That involves balancing."

"Just because I did gymnastics doesn't mean I was good at it."

Nini tilts her head. "Says the girl who can do, like, eight handsprings into the splits."

She looks at me, and something about that is more convincing than words. 

"Fine," I say. 

I put my phone and backpack down on the grass, deciding they're safer there than over the water, and then I go over to the end of the log. As I take a step up, Nini's hands reach out for mine, and I take them, feeling a lot more at ease. Once up, she walks backwards, pulling me across. While her eyes are down at her feet, watching her step, mine are stuck on her, noticing the way she bites her lip a little while she's concentrating. 

Maybe I should be paying more attention to where I'm stepping, because I suddenly feel my foot slip, and I go falling over. But before I can fly off the log, Nini tugs my arms back into her, making me swing out and back up, resulting in both of us standing together perpendicular to the direction of the log. In order to make all of our feet fit, we're both nearly up against each other, breathing heavy from the scare we just had. She lets out the tension in the form of a laugh, which I catch too. 

"You good?" she asks, and I nod. "Okay," she says. "Let's both step clockwise."

Our feet find empty spots on the log, and we twist as we step, unwinding our awkwardly close stance. Now free, Nini sinks down to sit on the log, hanging her feet over. They're barely short enough to not get wet. Mine, on the other hand, would skim the water, so I sit criss-cross beside her. Nini reaches into her back pocket and grabs her phone then brings it up to take a selfie of us with the river in the background. 

"You holding your phone over the water like that is making me stressed," I comment. 

"It's fine," she replies. "I've got it. Also, I went through a phase where all I watched was Youtube hacks, so I know about ten different ways to fix a wet phone."

That makes me laugh. "Please tell me you're not the kind of person who takes videos on roller coasters."

"That's different," Nini says. "If I go upside down, I don't risk it. I've seen too many people lose their hats on rides."

"I've never been on a roller coaster before."

"Never?"

"My mom and I made plans sometimes to go to amusement parks, but we always ended up moving before we could go, and sometimes we'd make plans, and it'd just never happen."

"We should've gone to an amusement park as a theatre club trip," Nini says. 

"Next year maybe."

"That would be so fun," she says with a smile. "We should go to Six Flags, and you can go on all the roller coasters that Ricky refuses to go on." She freezes for a second before correcting herself. "Refused." 

She looks down at her knees, not saying anything else, and I don't know what to say either. I want to ask more, but I feel like that'd be prying, so I change the subject instead to get it onto something lighter. 

"I've actually never been camping before either."

"Well, you're about a quarter of the way there," Nini says with a chuckle. 

She glances at me, giving me a smile, and it occurs to me that I'm glad Ashlyn paired me with Nini and not someone else. And she was right. I do like her. I mean, it's not like I didn't like her before. It's just that now… Never mind. I don't know where I was going with that. Nini's really nice, and that's why I like being around her, and she's really pretty, which is why I like looking at her. And…she's just really different than anyone else I've met. 

"Hey, look!" she suddenly says. 

I follow where her eyes are to a magpie flying overhead. When I look back to her, she's in the middle of snapping a photo of me with the bird. 

"Is it good?" I ask as she brings her phone down to look at the picture. 

"Well, you lied about not being good in photos," she answers. 

I smile and lean over to see it. Right away, I see that the magpie is crystal clear in the sky, but I'm just a fuzzy blur in the foreground.

"Nini, I look awful in this," I say with a laugh. 

She shrugs. "I think it's kinda cute."

That makes me freeze, and I feel my stomach rise like it thinks I'm falling. But before I have the chance to fully comprehend what it is I'm feeling, Nini starts getting up.

"On to the next photo?" she asks. 

She holds her hand out and helps me up. 

"Sure," I reply. 

"I saw a great place for the photo in a tree on the way here."

She leads me off the log, back onto the grass, and I can't help but stare at her hand pulling mine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. I thought this was really cute. I hope you all liked it. Anyway, I'm really liking this story. I think it's gonna be just a nice cute one compared to some of my heavier stories, which will be a nice change. However, there's still going to be some twists and turns. I love you all. Have a good day.


	5. Chapter 5

**Nini's POV**

One thing I've learned over my life, however still brief, is that humility makes beautiful people gorgeous. A person who doesn't know they're beautiful is automatically a thousand times more attractive. I don't know why that is, but I know it is that way. Sometimes, I worry I may be conceited because I think about my appearance too often. I fear that people won't like me when I don't cringe at my mirror. And yet they say confidence is also attractive, but showing it would be ugly. So really, humility is the only real way to present yourself. I'm still learning how to do that. It's really a balancing act. It's weighting all your branches pulling down against your branches lifting up in a way that causes your trunk to simply remain still. Humility is in itself just a weeping willow tree, strong branches holding strands of weak ones. It's silent, unaware of its beauty and its eccentricity, resulting in it hardly even knowing its existence. I suppose that's why it's the tree at which I drop my bike. 

Gina looks up at the hanging branches. There are a few other weeping willow trees around us, but this one is the largest. 

"A weeping willow tree," Gina observes. 

"It's my favorite kind of tree," I respond. 

I toss my backpack down on the dirt and step forward, going through the leaves like a curtain. After wrapping my arms around one of the branches above, I get a grip with my shoe on the trunk and use it to propel me upward. I manage to swing my body over the branch and sit up. Then I reach for the next one, getting settled up high in the plant. When I look down, I see Gina gazing up at me. 

"I didn't expect you to be so good at climbing trees," she says. 

"And I didn't expect you to be so good at stalling," I reply. 

"I am not stalling," she defends. 

She looks down at the tree trunk then back up at me with determination before leaping for the closest branch and pulling herself up. She doesn't even use her legs. It turns out she just has the upper body strength of Hercules.

"Okay, so you weren't stalling," I admit with a laugh.

She smiles proudly as she sits on the branch across the tree trunk from me. While I have my feet propped up on the trunk, she has her legs criss cross on the branch, somehow not tilting at all, with her back resting on the thin wood behind her. 

"So," she says, "what's so special about weeping willow trees?"

"I just like them," I reply. 

"There must be a reason."

"Can't I just like the way they look?"

"Yes, but liking the way they are is a reason."

She looks at me, and I glance around at the shade created by the leaves. It's like we're inside a secret hideout. To the outside world, we've disappeared, but we're here, safe in our little bubble that mother nature has provided us with. When my eyes fall back to Gina, she's still watching me, waiting for a response. 

"It's beautiful," I say. 

"It is," she agrees. 

"But it's sad, hence the name, weeping."

"I guess it doesn't know it's beautiful," Gina says as though she can read my mind. 

I look at her, surprised, pausing for a moment before saying, "Yeah. It's humble, and that's what makes it beautiful."

"I've never assigned emotions to plants before," Gina says with a chuckle.

"Sorry. It's weird."

"It's interesting," she corrects. "You're interesting. I like it."

Somehow, her soft smile melts the shield I always keep up, exposing the fragile skin behind it. But I'm not scared like I would normally be. Maybe it's just because we're inside a cocoon of leaves, but I feel safe. 

"I think the most beautiful things don't know how beautiful they are."

She lets that soak in for a moment before replying, "Go on."

"Like with people. If a person knows how pretty they are, they're conceited."

"You don't think someone can be pretty and also know they're pretty?" Gina challenges. "What about confidence?"

"People say they like confidence, but nobody actually does. The second someone agrees with a compliment, they're called stuck-up. It's better just to be—"

"Oblivious?" she finishes. "I don't like that. I think people should be allowed to think they're pretty."

"That would be nice," I agree.

She leans forward, closer to me, even though we're still a tree trunk apart. "Do you think you're pretty?"

I don't know how to answer that. To be honest, most of the time I try to not think about my appearance. I try not to think about myself at all. That only causes me to get critical, and I'm really not in the place to end up giving myself mental-breakdown bangs. I already almost cut my hair the first time I broke up with Ricky, and Kourtney had to talk me out of it. Why do I feel like Gina would be the person to completely encourage me if I did end up cutting my hair on this trip? 

"I don't think I'm ugly," I reply. 

She takes another second to just stare at me before saying, "Well, then by your standards, you're the most beautiful girl in the world."

At that moment, I feel my face turning red, and I let out a laugh, trying to subside the blush. 

"You just like to compliment people, don't you?" I say. 

"Trust me when I say that I don't give compliments I don't mean."

Her eyes strike some guitar strings in me that I didn't know were there, but somehow my body knows exactly how to play them. The silent melody plucks within me, following my pulse as a beat and vibrating through my limbs. My hands become so shaky that I have to clasp them onto the tree branch to keep them still, but that doesn't stop the music from twinkling up my stomach to my lungs, carrying each of my breaths in and out, pushing them harder than normal, like the air is attempting to reach the girl sitting across from me. 

"Um..." It takes me a moment to get my head to function properly again and tuck the song away so that I can focus on other things again. "The picture. We need to take a picture."

"Right," Gina says. She'd forgotten too. 

She pulls out her phone from her pocket and carefully extends her arm out, turning so that she can be in the picture with me. After that picture, she shifts to face me again and takes a snapshot of just me. When I raise my eyebrows, silently questioning her motive, she shrugs. 

"You're more photogenic," she reminds me. 

She begins to climb down from the tree branch, and with a crunch of twigs, she hops down onto the dirt. Then she looks up as I attempt to come down too. It's going smoothly until one of my feet lands on uneven ground, and I go falling backward. But Gina reacts fast, catching me in her arms. She lifts me back to my feet, and I look at her, my eyes drifting toward hers like a ripple for the shore. It's like my body wants the song to start again, the one that seems to now play whenever she looks at me. 

"Thanks," I utter.

"You're welcome."

"So what's next?" I ask. 

"Well, I believe one of the towns is only a couple kilometres away, and we can get those photos with food and outfits and antiques done."

"Great," I reply, my body still jittery from her touch. "Let's get going."

I spin around and pick up my backpack before mounting my bicycle. I hear Gina start rolling behind as I do, and my tires spit up dust as I turn onto the dirt pathway. We only get a few metres before I hear the person behind me stop and drop her bike. I spin around to see her crouched to the grass, picking three purple flowers from a patch of dozens. Confused, I place my bike down and go over to join her. 

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"A picture with flowers."

She stands up and steps over to me. My eyes track her hand as she tucks one of the three flowers in my hair behind my ear. Then I look to her with a curious grin. 

"What's this?" 

"A violet," she answers. 

She holds the other two flowers out for me, and I take them, bringing them in to examine closer. While my focus is on the flowers, I hear the snap of her phone camera and look up to see her lowering her phone with a smile. 

"Cute," she says, and then she returns to her bike. 

While she gets ready to keep moving, I do the same, dropping the two violets back onto the grass, but I keep the one in my hair. I think it's a nice embellishment, and I imagine it must be very lovely to look at. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. If any of you spotted the symbolism in the flower, please comment and let me know, because violets mean many things, but there's one specific reason why I chose it. I love you all. Have a great day! Also, I'm going to work on Ethereal now.


	6. Chapter 6

**Gina's POV**

We choose the closest town to go to, and almost as soon as we've rolled past the welcome sign, we're in downtown, a single street of shops, all painted in pastel colours like something out of a children's storybook. Wind chimes sound from several angles, making me wonder if that was done on purpose to make the town seem even more surreal, a song in physical form. Nini and I park our bikes at a spiral bike rack that sits in front of a tiny hotel, and she secures them in a bike lock she brought. When she takes off her helmet and clips it to her backpack strap, the shorter pieces of her hair stand up like grass, and she struggles to pat them down. I smile as I reach up to help her out.

"Thanks," she says. 

The violet flower that was in her hair is gone. It probably fell out while riding. Although I knew that would happen, I still wish it had stayed. Nini starts down the sidewalk, and I stroll beside her, an act that should be so natural, but my whole mind is reeling. Every step is being carefully contemplated before going forth, and I find myself overthinking even the slightest things like my hand accidentally bumping hers. Each touch springs my heart up like a trampoline, and when it comes back to rest, I barely have time to even figure out what is wrong with me before it leaps up again. This can't be normal. If this is normal, then it certainly isn't normal for me. 

"Twenty-six flavours," she suddenly reads, nodding at a sign across the street. It sits outside an ice cream shop, beside a large, wooden ice cream cone that sticks out of the lawn. The weather has chipped some of the paint away, but it's still effective at catching the eye, especially Nini's. Her eyes stay on it while we walk, but she doesn't say anything else, leading me to have to ask the question. 

"Do you want to go in there?"

She flashes me a grin then grabs my hand and pulls me across the street. But she lets go when we reach the other side, and it's like filling up a balloon only to pop it a second later. We're the only ones in the store when we enter, and the man behind the case of ice cream tubs smiles with crooked teeth and gums showing. 

"What can I get for you ladies?"

Nini scans the menu above. Even after I'm finished ordering for myself, she's still deciding.

"Need help?" I ask. 

"There's twenty-six flavours, and they don't have plain chocolate." She takes another moment before stepping up to the cashier, saying, "Blackberry, please." 

After she pays, she comes back over to me.

"You like blackberries?" I say. 

She shrugs. "I don't know. I picked at random."

"Well, do you like raspberries?"

"No."

"Then you might not like this."

She frowns. "Oh."

As soon as we get our ice cream cones, Nini licks hers. Her nose scrunches in disgust, and I giggle finding it kind of cute. She lowers the ice cream cone while shaking her head. 

"How is it?" I ask. 

"Not amazing," she replies, her lips still puckered from the sourness. "What flavour did you get?"

"Pistachio."

"Man, I should've gotten that."

Watching her pout is like standing by while a toddler struggles to stand up after tripping. It hurts me too much to see her sad. 

"Do you want to trade?" I offer. 

Her eyes light up in a second. "Would you be okay with that?"

"Yeah. I like blackberries." Actually, I'm indifferent to them, but I like seeing Nini smile, so today I like blackberries, and I do get to see Nini's smile as she swaps her ice cream for mine. 

She licks the pistachio flavoured dessert and says, "This is so much better."

I laugh, and the two of us consume our treats while carrying on down the sidewalk. However, Nini quickly stops and reminds me, "We need to take a photo."

She pulls out her phone and raises it up, holding it awkwardly in one hand. 

"Do I have to be in it?" I say. 

"Stop complaining and just smile."

I let out a sigh, but my grin's stays, possibly as unmovable as a mountain at this point. I haven't stopped smiling in a while actually. Behind me, I notice the giant ice cream cone decoration, and I go back to that, leaning an elbow on it while holding up my ice cream. Nini looks satisfied with the picture as I come back to walk beside her. 

We finish our cones by the time we get to the next place that grabs Nini's interest, a consignment store with sparkly feather boas on mannequins in the window. She takes a sharp right turn into the store, and I'm immediately overwhelmed by the amount of colour and shine in here. Racks of random clothing are packed together, creating a maze of merchandise, and Nini willingly throws herself right into the labyrinth. She grabs a bright pink boa off a hook and tosses it around her neck before posing like a model. 

"What do you think?" she asks. 

"Loving it," I reply with a laugh. 

She grins and drops the boa back on its hook then spins around and begins swiping through the hangers of shirts. While she's busy investigating the fashion, the woman who runs the store comes over to us.

"You girls finding everything okay?" 

"Great," Nini answers. 

"Perfect. Well, if you need anything—"

"Actually"—Nini's head pops up from scanning the rack—"Could we get a picture with you?"

The woman looks unsure of how to respond, letting out a nervous chuckle as she says, "Why? Am I a celebrity and didn't know it?"

"We're doing a photo scavenger hunt thing," I explain. "One of the photos we need is a photo with a stranger."

"Oh, well, isn't that fun," she cheers. "I'd be delighted."

Nini winds around the clothing to join the woman, her doing a cute pose with jazz hands while the lady just stands still as a brick and smiles. After snapping the shot, Nini thanks her, and the woman returns back to the counter at the back of the store while Nini continues scouring the racks. 

"Oh, if that goes viral," the lady calls out, "make sure to let me know! I'll want to tell my grandkids!"

"Will do!" I reply and then look to Nini, both of us laughing. 

I'm about to begin looking through the clothing myself when Nini's gasp startles me, and I look over to see her holding up a shimmering, black dress. But as soon as she checks the tag, her gaping mouth is replaced by a disappointed frown. That hardly lasts for a second before she has another idea and turns to face me. 

"You have to try this on," she states.

"Why don't you try it on?"

"Because it's not my size."

She holds out the dress. I wouldn't have chosen to try on a dress today, but the fact that she chose it makes it automatically more appealing. 

"Fine," I agree. "But you need to pick something too."

"I'm working on that."

I accept the dress and fold it over my arm, and Nini proceeds to examine the next row of styles. While she's doing that, my eye is caught by the shelf on the other side of the store by the cashier. Jars of honey are stacked up, with a wooden lid and a lacy bow tied around them, easily representing the cottagecore aesthetic. According to the label, these are jars of raw honey, no sugar added.

"I found it!" comes Nini's voice. 

I spin around, but she has her treasure hidden behind her back. 

"What did you find?" I ask. 

"It's going to be a surprise," she says. Then she looks over to the shop owner. "Could we get fitting rooms?"

The lady leads us down the back hallway to a corner with exactly two curtained nooks, one for Nini and one for me. I expect the dress to be scratchy, but it's surprisingly soft. When I turn to face the mirror, I'm blown away. I look like I could be attending some kind of extravagant party with wine and an auction for things that have more zeros on their price tag than I can count. The dress has thin straps holding it up, and it lines my figure, hugging my legs down to the mid-thigh. All I need now is a pair of heels and some lipstick to balance it out. 

I step out of the change room and call out to Nini, "You ready?"

Her curtain slides open, and my jaw drops as Nini comes out in a sunflower yellow suit. The pants are wide, and the blazer is straight, and she's owning every inch of it. Her smile is beaming so bright that she could be the whole sun as she does a little twirl. 

"Nini, you look..." I have no words. "Woah. You look..."

"Same to you," she says. 

Her eyes stay on mine, and I feel them melting into the gaze. Both our stares are being welded together, and if I keep this up, soon I won't be able to get them apart. But she doesn't look away, and I don't either. I just don't know how. How do I stop staring at this girl who's making my whole body feel fuzzy, like being swept up by the wind and carried away? Like, nothing I've ever experienced before in my life. Like something I've only ever read in books. Like...like a crush. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't realize how long this chapter was, but wow. Okay. Anyway, there are approximately four chapters left, and I'm super hyped, because I think it's gonna be really exciting. I'm very excited to be getting close to some cute and possibly agonizingly suspenseful moments. I hope I will achieve that, at least. Anyway, I love you all. I actually wrote this last night, but I was too tired to read it over, so I'm posting it today, so have a great day, lovelies.


	7. Chapter 7

**Gina's POV**

My breath cuts short, and I stumble backwards. Concern floods Nini's face, but I hold up my hand, signalling that I'm alright. I'm not alright. I've fallen into a classic situation of love that could never be requited. She couldn't like me that way. Could she? I suppose it's not impossible...

"Photos!" Nini remembers.

"Aren't they supposed to be bizarre outfits?" I recall.

She pauses for a second before darting off down the hall. A moment later, she comes back with two feather boas. I grin and take the blue one from her, and she wraps the pink one over her shoulders. She holds out her phone as she leans into me, and I swear my heart beats an extra time when her shoulder hits mine. After the photo is taken, Nini returns to her dressing room, her eyes immediately going toward the mirror.

"You should get it," I say.

"You think? I don't usually wear suits."

"Well, you look hot, and you obviously love it, so I think you should." 

Clearly, I'm not good at keeping my affection quiet. I've never had to before. I've never felt this way before. Besides, I'm only telling the objective truth. Anyone would agree that she looks absolutely incredible, so much that it's hard to remember to even breathe—

"Then you should get that," Nini says, pulling me out of my trainwreck of thought.

I glance down at myself again before looking back up with a smile. "Looks like I have next year's homecoming dress."

That lights a huge grin on Nini's face, and I feel pleased with myself. After switching back into my regular clothes, I purchase the dress, and the woman puts it in a brown, paper bag with the store's name printed in script so bedecked that I can't even read it. When I turn around, I see Nini observing the wall of honey jars, and I go up to join her.

"You like honey?" I ask.

"It's raw honey," she says, clearly in awe of the anomaly. "Nothing but just honey in it."

"Get it, too." 

"I don't even have a job. I'm going to go into debt if I keep spending today. But I do love honey. I used to put it on everything when I was a kid. And I mean everything. Even my pizza had honey, which is surprisingly good. I think I was a honeybee in a past life."

She and I share a laugh, which fades away fast as her focus returns to the shelves. My sight flicks from Nini's longing eyes to the honey, then I grab one of the jars.

"We'll split the cost," I say.

Every time I make her smile is like I've won another level of a game I didn't even sign up to play. But somehow I'm in it, and I can't see my score, but I really hope I'm doing okay. After buying the honey, the two of us head for the door, and I step ahead to open it for her.

She gives me a nod, saying, "Thanks."

"You're welcome, honeybee."

Another smile. Another win.

**_______________________________________**

**Nini's POV**

So Gina's allergic to tomatoes. I find that out when we go get subs for lunch, and she asks for no tomato. And she also likes cheese, potentially more than me. We get in a long debate about who likes cheese more, which we eventually settle only when she gives in and let me win. 

"You put up one hell of an arguement," she says with a laugh. 

"I'll assume that's a compliment."

"It's definitely a compliment. When I decide to buy a car, remind me to call you to negotiate the price for me."

When we're finished lunch and back on the street again, I swear the ground must be slanted, because I keep wavering over to her while we walk, getting too close at times. There's this natural attraction that I have toward her, and it prevents me from being able to leave her side. I haven't felt something like this since Ricky and I first started dating, but it must be different. I don't know how, but it must be. The way I felt about Ricky wasn't the way a person sees a friend. And Gina's my friend. 

I stop when we pass by the window of what looks like an antique shop. Gina spins to see what's caught my eye, a tiny toy sailboat behind the glass. It looks like it's fully made of wood with a fabric sail, and you can see the visible colour differentiation where old meets new paint. 

"Do we get points for covering two photos in one?" I ask. 

"I don't know. I'll take two just to be safe."

When she gets out her phone, I kneel in front of the glass, lifting my hand so that it looks like I'm holding the boat due to the angle of the lens. 

"Adorable," Gina remarks. 

"Thanks," I respond. "Where to next?"

"Well, seeing as we only have one more photo which is the one with the view, it looks like we'll be going up."

"You know, views don't have to be up high. You can get a great view on the ground."

"That's true, but the best ones are up high."

"That's also true," I grumble. "Okay. Lead the way."

After having walked awhile, biking again feels strangely fast. The wind blows through the holes in my helmet and pushes back my shirt like a parachute fluttering around me. I'm glad when we're out of town and back on the trails, because now I can bike beside Gina rather than staying single file. This allows me to be able to glance over and admire the way the sunlight reflects on her nose and streaks her hair. Unfortunately, once we're nearing the top of a hill, I run out of the energy to keep up, and I dismount my bicycle to walk the rest of the way. I don't know how Gina's able to keep peddling. It's like she doesn't get tired. However, it doesn't take long for her to realize I've fallen behind, and she jumps off her bike, waiting for me to catch up again before she begins pushing it alongside me. 

"You don't have to wait for me," I tell her. 

"Waiting for you is better than riding alone," she replies.

I find myself staring after that, my eyes stuck on hers, even though she's looking ahead. I study the shimmer of highlighter on her cheeks and the way her curly hair twists like whirlpools in the wind. It's like that twist has rubbed off onto me, because I feel it behind my ribs, and then the gentle brush of music notes begins again, and the twist becomes a spinning dancer, practicing the same move over and over and over. And then Gina stops, and I stop, but the dancer keeps dancing. We're at our destination. 

Gina drops her bike on the grass and rushes up to the peak. A blanket of trees spans out below us, hiding everything on the ground. The land rises and falls like waves, and we're at the top of one, gazing out at the view. I don't know if this quite qualifies as a mountain, because the top is more rounded than pointed, but it's certainly more than just a hill, which we're not even at the top of yet. It goes on much higher, but I'm good with stopping here. My legs wouldn't be able to keep going anyway.

I notice Gina taking out her phone from her backpack, so I turn to pose for her. She examines the image on her screen with a smile. I imagine her world must be silent right now, aside from the wind and the birds, but mine's not. The guitar is bold, filling every one of my bones with a peculiar sensation like my dancer is pirouetting on the edge of a cliff. I'm scared for her to fall, but I think she wants to feel like she's flying. 

"It's cute," Gina says. 

"Yeah?" I can't seem to say anything more. 

"Yeah." She smiles at me before picking up her backpack again than glancing back to say, "Come on, honeybee. Let's go back."

Just like that, the lyrics of the song become clear, and I can now peg what kind of song it is. It's a love song. It's not just a friendship ditty. I like Gina, and for my life, I could not explain how it happened. But it's her. She's the one making the world sound so bright, so vibrant. She's the song, the one so loud that it unravels all my prior beliefs about myself with just the thumping of my heartbeat. I guess I'll have to ask my moms for an extra pride flag to hang in my room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! The next few chapters should be a bit more exciting, because I've got some ideas. Also, I'm PUMPED for Only Little. I have so many little scenes and ideas that I can't wait to write. But I think I'm going to try to write another chapter of this story (or two) today, which, if I do, you'll be getting in a few minutes, since I'm gonna post them all together. If I don't, oops. But tomorrow I'm gonna update Ethereal. Anyway. Goodbye!


	8. Chapter 8

**Gina's POV**

Coming back to Ashlyn's cabin feels weird. It has a completely different atmosphere than when I left this morning. The last time I was in here, I was nervous to have to talk to Nini for a whole day, and now I'm nervous about not being able to talk to her constantly anymore. Outside, Big Red struggles to set up a projector screen that Ashlyn found in the basement. It has some black marks on it, but it's still usable. Ricky is sort of helping him, but he seems preoccupied by the others around him, watching as Rico and EJ carry out lawn chairs to the yard. Ashlyn asked me to help get the food out, and Nini offered to help me, which would've been fantastic this morning, but right now, it's causing me to drop the bags of marshmallows right after I pick them up.

"Oh, sorry," I say.

I'm thankful that marshmallows are soft, because the bags land on Nini's feet, and I instantly kneel down to collect them again. Nini does the same, but it proves less effective with her help, for when we both reach for the same bag, our hands touch, and my heart screams, banging on my rib cage to be let out. After a second of motionless panic, I manage to pull my hand away and pick up the bags of marshmallows. 

She rises after me, saying, "You good?"

"Yeah, great," I reply. 

Now flustered, I reach for a bag of chips to add to my pile of food, hoping that keeping my body moving will make it calm down. Nini picks up the metal sticks for roasting marshmallows, but her sight stops on something else.

"Should I bring the honey out to put on our s'mores later?"

"That sounds like it would actually be good," I respond, "so yes."

She grins and grabs the jar then follows me to bring all our stuff outside. The rest of setup is quick, and soon our whole group is sitting around a campfire, choosing either the benches that face the screen, or their own lawn chairs. I'm on a bench with Nini, doing my best to pay attention to the presentation of photos beginning before me, but my eyes keep drifting back to her. Every once in a while, her gaze catches mine, which makes me snap forward again. 

"I'm so excited to see these photos," Ashlyn says. "Let's start with the first people who sent their images to me, Ricky and Big Red."

You can tell they're best friends by the elaborate poses they do in every picture. One of them depicts the two boys stacked one on top of the other on their hands and knees, like a pyramid missing a lot of people. On Ricky's head is a red bird that they somehow got to land here. I guess even the birds like his curly hair. Their photos make the rest of the group's images look average at best, although Steph and Natalie did something cute with putting Natalie's hamster in a plastic toy boat on the sand, making it look like the hamster is the captain. That earns them some cheers. Even though they're nothing special, me and Nini's photos make the two of us smile. In the end, there isn't even a debate about who the winners are. Ricky and Big Red stand up to take their bows. 

With the presentation over, the crackling of the fire takes over the air. EJ and I help Ashlyn get the hot dogs out for everyone to cook, and Ashlyn makes a plant-based one for herself. At the end of dinner, the marshmallows come out. I bring two of those, along with two pieces of chocolate and four graham crackers, back to where Nini sits. She grins as I pass her a marshmallow, and the two of us begin roasting them over the fire. It's not long before hers catches a flame, and she lets out a tiny scream as she pulls it out. 

"I got it," I say. 

I lean forward and blow the flame out, leaving just a sizzled black patch on the marshmallow.

"Thanks," Nini says. "I always get impatient and put the marshmallow too close."

"Aim for a spot close to the coals," I tell her. "Here."

I reach out and put my hand over hers on the handle. In that second, I'm reminded of what happens when I touch her, but I try to ignore my rapid pulse and continue what I was doing. I feel her eyes on me as I adjust her roasting stick to be at the perfect place by the orange wood, away from the flames by not too far away. The hardest part is getting my hand to let go of hers, but I force myself to do it. 

"There," I say. 

She's still looking at me, and it makes me feel nervous again, which causes my hand to start pulling at the ringlets in my hair. _God, she's beautiful._ Maybe I should tell her. Is there a chance she could feel the same way? Possibly. Maybe. I don't know.

I stare at her so intently that I don't notice that my marshmallow is drifting a bit too high, not toasting. When I realize, I readjust its placement. Nini's already finished cooking hers, so she lifts the marshmallow out of the fire and over her lap. Meanwhile, my head is still on my earlier thoughts. Maybe I will tell her. Is now the right place? Guess we're gonna find out.

"Uh, Nini, I have to tell you something."

"Ah, it's dripping!" she squeaks. 

The white glob dangles off her stick, and she attempts to grab her graham crackers in time, but the marshmallow ends up plopping down on her leg before she has the chance to stop it. 

"Crap," she mutters. 

"I'll get some napkins."

What I have to say can wait. Maybe I'm only thinking that because I want to keep stalling.

She gives me a gracious smile. "Thank you."

I stand up and go over to the deck, on which all the food, plates and the like are sprawled out. While taking a napkin, my ears capture a conversation happening nearby between Ricky and Big Red. They're at the other end of the deck, probably thinking nobody can hear them, but I can. I take another napkin while tuning into their chat. 

"It's hard liking someone who doesn't like me back," Ricky says. 

"You don't know that, man," Big Red responds. 

"No. I know that," Ricky insists. "My chances are, like, below zero. I'm sorry. I probably sound like I'm just whining. I just wish things were different."

Right away, I know who he's talking about. It's Nini. He's been having a rough time since the break-up, and I'm sure this theatre club trip isn't helping him get rid of those feelings. And I was over there thinking I would tell Nini how I felt. Of all the bad things a friend could do, dating one's ex when they still aren't over them would by far be the worst. I could never do that to Ricky. It would be horribly selfish, even if Nini does like me, especially if she does like me, which she probably doesn't anyway.

"Thanks," Nini says as she reaches for the napkins. She wipes her skin clean then sets the dirty napkins on the ground. "Now what were you going to tell me?"

I sit down beside her again. 

"Oh, I was gonna say that I...um..." There's no way I can tell her now. Ricky's one of my best friends, and I do not want to do something that cruel to him. "It was nothing," I reply. _Nothing I can say, at least._

The smile on Nini's face droops. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," I lie. "I mean, it was something, but...it's not really relevant anymore."

"Oh."

I pick up my roasting stick again and do my best to continue cooking my marshmallow without letting my eyes float back to Nini who's still staring at me, showing that this conversation remains unresolved. 

"Would you tell me anyway?" she asks. 

I look over at her, and her eyes are wide. I want to tell her. I want to do more than that. I want to kiss her. But I simply can't. 

I shake my head, feeling the flames from the campfire scorch my heart without even touching it. I'm blaming the fire, but I know it's just me. My eyes begin to sting as the smoke in the air wafts my direction, making my lungs feel tight, although I'm sure it wouldn't feel this strong if I were in a different situation.

_______________________________________

**Nini's POV**

She was about to tell me something, but she backed out. I wonder if she was going to say what I hoped she was going to. That's not so unlikely, right? It's not impossible that she would like me too. I mean, she did sort of have a thing with Ricky, but honestly, I don't think even Ricky knows what that was. Was it romantic? I mean, possibly, but does that mean Gina's straight? Well, if you would ask my moms, they would say that sexuality is a spectrum, so hardly anyone is purely straight. 

I'm clinging to that thought as I lie in bed. Steph is on the floor, already fast asleep. Kourtney is beside me, switching positions every once in a while, letting me know that she's still awake. I haven't even talked to her about my epiphany today. I'm not sure if I'm ready to, though. I've barely come to terms with it myself. 

"Kourtney," I whisper. 

"Hmm?" she groans. 

"What do you do when you feel like you're changing, but at the same time, you don't know how to keep up?"

"Usually, I just buy a new outfit. Change my outside to reflect my inside."

Make my appearance reflect what I'm feeling. What am I even feeling? I ponder that long after Kourtney's sunk into dreams. _What am I feeling?_ I'm feeling...different. Just different. Just like something needs to be different, to look different. 

I'm sure a big part of my next decision comes from my sleepiness and the way my brain is only functioning at half its regular state, but as I hold the scissors and look at myself in the bathroom mirror, I have no second thoughts. I wait for them to come, but they don't. I am completely committed to this. I part my hair with a comb, bringing a chunk of it over my face, and raise the blades. Right as I'm about to snip, the squeak of the door startles me, and I spin around, seeing Gina entering the washroom. I probably should've closed it all the way. 

"What are you doing?" she questions, her voice hushed to fit the time of night. 

"Uh, cutting my bangs," I reply like it's no big deal. "Why are you awake?"

"Couldn't sleep," she says. 

She walks over to me, inspecting the hair that's flipped over my face. 

"Can I continue?" I ask, mostly just to see what she's going to say. I'm going to continue either way.

"Nini, you can't cut your own bangs." Then a grin cracks through. "I'll help."

I give her the scissors, and she starts trimming the hair in front of my eyes. It falls down like dust to the floor, but my eyes are on her the whole time. I do my best to control my breath that goes sharp every time she touches me. 

"Keep your chin down," she instructs.

Feeling a blush flood my cheeks, I rip my gaze from up at her face and look down again, averting my attention toward the neckline of her pyjama shirt and trying not to let my eyes drift any lower than that. _Yeah, I'm definitely not straight._

Hair floats down, and soon the blockade is gone, leaving just the tickle of the shortened hair on my forehead. I turn to the mirror while Gina puts the scissors down. 

"How do you feel?" Gina asks with a smile. 

The bangs are even, much better than I would've done. Really, it's a small change, but it feels so different. It feels like it fits in place with the rest of the stones making up this path I've stumbled onto. 

"Good," I respond. 

I look back to her, meeting her gaze, and I hear it again, the music. And there's a crescendo as my body sways toward her a little. But before it can reach the chorus, the notes are shot dead as Gina takes a step back. 

"Uh, don't stay up too late," she says.

In a rush, she exits, and I'm stuck here with the pile of slaughtered melodies and chopped off hair at my feet. I wonder how the song would end if it ever got to play through? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I think that's it for my updates today. I hope you enjoyed this triple update. Tomorrow will be Ethereal, and maybe another chapter of this, but idk. Goodbye!


	9. Chapter 9

**Nini's POV**

I know I should've prepared myself for all the stares I'd get when I'd go downstairs for breakfast, but I kinda of forgot I had even done it. I woke up later than everyone else, likely due to lack of sleep, meaning not even my roommates have seen my hair yet, until now, and the whole room looks to me with gaping mouths, except for Gina; she's grinning as she leans on the island and takes a sip of her orange juice. 

"Nini, you look—" Ashlyn tries to find the words "—I love it."

"Yeah, they're really straight," Carlos adds, coming over to me. "How did you do them so well?"

"Uh, I had some help," I say. 

My eyes flick over to Gina, but when they meet hers, she looks down at the countertop. It hurts. Not gonna lie. It's like the moment I realized I liked her, she started acting all weird. Can she sense it? Is she trying to get across the hint that we will never be a thing? 

"Excuse me, please move." Kourtney comes pushing through Ashlyn and Carlos to grab my arm and pull me away to talk to me personally. "Girl, are you okay?"

"Yeah," I answer. "Why?"

"Because you cut your bangs. Nobody in a good mental state does that."

I shrug. "I just felt like I needed a change. Do they look that bad?"

"No, no," she assures me. "They actually look surprisingly good, which is part of what worries me, because it shows that you were dedicated to getting this right."

"Well, I'm fine," I say. 

"Okay," she breathes. "Now that I've got that out of the way, _damn girl!_ You are absolutely slaying those bangs. But did you think about what your moms will say?"

No. No, I did not. 

"They always said I would look good with bangs," I answer. 

They said that when I was twelve, but hey, they said it. 

Ashlyn's voice pulls Kourtney and I back toward the rest of the group in the kitchen as she tells us what her idea is for the day.

"Okay, so I was thinking we could go to the lake. There's, like, never anyone there, so we'll have it to ourselves."

"Yo, sounds rad," Ricky responds. "I'm down."

"Yeah, what Ricky said," Carlos agrees, "but without the 'yo' part."

"Really? Awesome," Ashlyn squeaks in excitement. 

"Welp, looks like I gotta bust out that bathing suit again," Kourtney says to me, and I laugh. 

My eyes drift to Gina, but she doesn't notice me this time. That's okay. It gives me the opportunity to just imagine that she would stare back if she knew. I don't need to be disappointed. I shouldn't be anyway. We're only friends. And that's totally fine with me. If I can't be her girlfriend, being her friend is the next best thing. Yeah, that's fine. 

I let out a breath. _Yeah._

_______________________________________

**Gina's POV**

The lake is a sanctuary hidden in a ring of trees. A dock extends out from the sand on the shore into the water, but no boats are parked at it. The place is practically soundless, except for the water rushing down streams at the far end. EJ parks his vehicle at the end of the dirt road before the grass starts, and those who didn't ride with him drop their bikes down. The only reason he drove was so that we could bring food and things like a volleyball here, which Steph immediately grabs and starts bumping between her and Natalie. 

A few people make a beeline straight for the water. Ashlyn takes off the clothes that she had over top of her bathing suit and does a cannonball off the end of the dock. Big Red follows close after, and the couple laughs as they bob in the blue. Carlos has already proclaimed his aversion for swimming, so he sits with Seb and Kourtney on the sand, letting the sun bake them while they converse. 

Nini's hair blows in the breeze as we walk together. Our plan was to go in the water right away. I knew that, because we were talking about it as we biked here, but part of me forgot that going in the water involved her removing the pastel green sundress that she has over her paisley bikini. Even though I take off my shirt and shorts to be only in my swimsuit first, it still catches me off-guard when it's Nini's turn. As she strips, I avert my eyes, trying to focus on my feet, and when I look back up, all I can think is _God, I'm gay._ But she's just a girl. Just a girl, right? Just a girl who makes me smile with her smile and has the prettiest laugh and eyes that radiate warmth like a fire. _She's definitely more than just a girl._

When she starts walking, and I don't follow, she glances back. "You coming?"

"Uh, yeah," I reply, yanking my head out of the wormhole down which it had fallen. "You go ahead. I'm just gonna grab some water, and I'll meet you in there."

"Okay," she responds. 

She carries on into the lake, and I spin around, taking a few deep breaths to try to get my pulse to quiet down. My water bottle is in the back of EJ's car, of which all the doors are wide open, allowing easy access to anyone who wants to grab stuff from it. When I go over, I spot Ricky leaning against the spot where the licence plate hangs on the back, his arms folded and eyes out at our friends. 

I grab my water and take a swig before asking, "You okay?"

As though he didn't even realize I was here, he breaks his eyes away and looks at me, responding, "Oh, yeah."

I nod, setting my water bottle back down. "Not much of a swimmer?"

"Not really."

I trace his eyes back to where they are on EJ who's taking off his shirt and sprinting down the dock to leap into the water. 

"I don't think Natalie and Steph would mind having a third player for volleyball," I suggest. 

"Yeah, thanks. I might do that."

He gives me a smile, and I turn to go, stepping across the sand. The instant my toes touch the water, a chill shoots up me, and Nini laughs as I retreat out of the cool lake. 

"It's freezing!" I shout to her. 

"You just have to come in," she tells me. "You'll get used to it."

I continue into the liquid, the cold encapsulating my muscles, making me shiver. Once my waist has descended below the surface, I've made it out to where Nini is floating, waiting for me with a grin. 

"How is it now?" she asks. 

I drift toward her, keeping my feet on the waterbed to hold as much of my body out of the water as I can. Alternatively, Nini sinks down, hiding her shoulders in the blue. 

"Still cold," I reply. 

"That's because you haven't gone under yet. You have to dunk your whole head, and then it won't be cold."

"That sounds like it would be more cold."

"Well, it will be even, so you won't have anything warm to compare it to."

In that second, she hops up and crashes down below the water, sending a splash up at my face. I scream, and she resurfaces, giggling with drenched hair. It drapes over her shoulders, covering her skin that reflect the sunlight like a diamond.

"Your turn," she says. 

I shake my head. "Nope. I"m good."

"Lame," she teases. 

"I am not lame."

"Really? Because you're acting lame."

"Okay fine," I cave, which makes her grin. "But you have to do it with me."

"I'm already wet, so sure. On three? One, two, three."

We both drop out of the air, and my body is shocked by the temperature of the lake. As soon as I get fully under, I've had enough, and I push myself back up. I wipe the droplets out of my face and open my eyes, seeing Nini arising with me. But somehow we ended up much closer than before, and it's virtually impossible to look anywhere other than her. 

This is a problem. My heartbeat springs to life as her eyes hit mine, intensifying as our bodies wade closer together. I'm not intentionally doing it, but it's like the water is pushing for us to be together. My attraction to her is a literal force of nature. How am I supposed to withstand that? Then her eyes drop to my lips, and I know what's about to happen. And I want it so bad. I want it like the night wants the stars, like she's the night, and I'm the stars, and when she's here, I have no choice but to be peeled bare, naked without my blue shield of protection, vulnerable to the eyes of the earth. She makes me forget how to keep my guard up. She makes me want to broken open and laid out like seeds in a garden for her to relish. 

But I can't, not when one of my best friends is still in love with her. 

I tear away from her, ripping that tree's roots straight out of the soil. There's a physical pain in doing so, like dragging a pin through my skin until it yanks free rather than simply unhooking it. It takes me a moment to readjust to the world before I can talk. 

"I'm still cold," I utter. "I think I'll avoid the water today."

I swim away, and I can see her watching me out of the corner of my eye. It doesn't matter that we were about to kiss, if that's really what was going to happen. I can't be with her. It might be best if I just keep my distance from her until these feelings subside, however long that will take. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I loved writing this chapter, so I really hope you guys liked it too. Thank you so much for reading, and I'll see you soon with the final part.


	10. Chapter 10

**Nini's POV**

I used to like campfires. By "used to" I mean I did yesterday. Today, I'm more focused on how my hair is going to smell permanently of smoke after this, how the raw honey tastes blander this time, how the laughter of my friends around me is grinding my last nerve. And Gina is on the other end of the yard, talking with Ricky and avoiding my eyes. I was completely stupid for thinking she might like me. It's becoming achingly clear that she does not, and she never will. 

When I burn my third marshmallow, Kourtney finally concludes, "You are not okay. What's going on?"

I sigh. "I don't want to talk about this here."

"Wanna go inside?"

"I guess."

I look at Gina again, and that only pulls apart the few stitches that I just sewed in my heart. When I step into the living room with Kourtney, the lack of external noise causes everything inside me to raise in volume, and she doesn't have to ask me to speak before I spill out like a tipped bath tub. 

"I have a crush on Gina, and I thought she might've liked me, but now she's not even talking to me, and I could've sworn we were about to kiss today at the lake and—"

"Slow down," Kourtney says. "Start from the beginning. You have a crush on Gina?"

"Yes." 

Now that I'm not rambling, my body fills the open slot by making my hands fidget with my sleeves. 

"I didn't even know you liked girls."

"That makes two of us." 

"So when did you start liking her?" Kourtney asks. 

"I don't know when it started, but I realized it yesterday when she looked at me, and I just knew."

Kourtney nods. 

"And now Gina's pretty much avoiding me."

"When did that start?" 

"I almost kissed her at the lake, and she ran away."

"Oh." She just looks at me, probably wishing there were some kind of best friend guide book that would tell her how to handle this situation. 

"I was naive to think she might have feelings for me too," I mutter.

"Nini," Kourtney says, placing her hands on my shoulders, "if she doesn't see how great you are, then you're too good for her."

Although I know she's trying to make me feel better, it doesn't. The heartbreak remains like a scar on my skin. 

"But I really, really like her," I respond. 

Kourtney frowns, and being drained of words, she pulls me into a hug. It doesn't fix anything, but it's a good reminder that I don't have to stitch my heart alone. 

**Gina's POV**

"So," I say, "how did you get that bird to land on your head?"

Ricky chuckles. "Big Red had dried cranberries in his pocket for some reason, so we put some in my hair to attract it."

He sits beside me on the grass. We're both a little bit away from the rest of the group. I chose to be here since I wanted to keep as much distance between Nini and me as possible, and Ricky saw me sitting alone and decided to join me. We both sip grape sodas together while we talk, mostly about mindless things, and whenever a topic dies out, I immediately start another one, my sole goal being to keep Nini out of my brain, but when Ricky starts telling me about how he and Nini once made a birdfeeder with dried cranberries together, I feel it would be kind of weird if I didn't ask the obvious question. 

"Yeah. How are you doing with that? The breakup, I mean."

"Oh, uh, fine," he responds. "I haven't actually thought about Nini that much lately."

I know that's not true. I just wish he wouldn't feel like he has to lie to me. We're friends, and I want to be there for him. 

"It's okay," I say. "I overheard you talking to Big Red about her last night."

That sends a streak of confusion through his face, and then he suddenly realizes it, letting out an, "Ohhhh. Uh, that wasn't about Nini."

"It wasn't? Then who?"

"Can you keep a secret?" He take a moment to look out at our friends ahead of us, before saying, "It was EJ."

He's not hung up on Nini. He likes EJ. So I've been avoiding Nini this whole time for nothing. 

"Oh."

"Oh?"

"No, I mean, I just wasn't expecting that, but that's fine of course. Um, can I tell you something too?"

"Sure."

"Uh, how would you feel if one of your friends liked Nini?"

He nods, completely unsurprised, which surprises me. 

"Yeah," he says. "I saw the way you looked at her."

"You did?"

"Yeah, and I'm cool with it. We weren't meant to be together, but there's nothing wrong with her. Actually, you two would probably be a lot better than we were."

I know my friend saying how his ex and him weren't a good match shouldn't make me happy, but it does.

"You think?"

"Yeah. You should tell her how you feel. Even if it doesn't work out, she's not the kind of person to end a friendship over that."

Hearing him say I should tell her gives me the boost of confidence to stand up. I'll do it. I'll tell her. I just really hope she hasn't given up on me yet, since I know I haven't been very clear about what I want. But now I know. But Ricky also knows what he wants, and he can't push me and not expect me to encourage him too. 

"You should tell EJ how you feel," I say. 

A nervous laugh leaks out of him. "Uh, I'm not sure that's a good idea."

All of a sudden, the very object of our conversation appears and lowers down beside Ricky. The curly-haired boy turns red at his presence, and a smile takes me over. 

"Speak of the devil," I mutter. 

"Mind if I join you guys?" EJ asks. 

"Not at all," I reply, seeing that Ricky is too tongue-tied to speak properly. "I was just leaving anyway."

I share a look with Ricky before spinning around and heading toward the house where I saw Nini enter a while ago. As I step up the stairs, Kourtney exits, followed by Nini, and I freeze up. Seeing her face has somehow rendered me speechless. 

"Gina," Kourtney says. "Hi."

I want to greet her too, but I can't. My eyes are latched onto Nini's, and she's standing just as stiff as me, the two of us in a silent scream together. 

"Okay, um, I'll leave you two to chat," Kourtney says. 

She continues out to the yard, and my stare with Nini holds strong for another second until I manage to tear through the tension.

"Um, can I talk to you inside?"

She nods and returns back into the entryway of the house. I take every second I can as I follow in and close the door, dragging out the moment like it's a piece of taffy. 

When I say nothing, Nini finds her voice. "Go ahead."

I swear I had it ready at the front of my mind. I knew what I was going to say and how I was going to say it. Now I hardly even know how to breathe. 

"Uh, I was going to say that I—I think I…um…"

She watches me as I stutter, trying to make out a sentence with her image blocking the access point to any words that would make sense. 

"Nini, I… I like…"

This isn't going to work. 

"Forget it," I mutter. 

I spin around and tug open the door, feeling mortified. I just want to get out of here. Why is it so hard to confess my feelings for her? Why does just looking at her make me forget how to do anything else but take her in?

As soon as I step out onto the porch, I hear Nini call out behind me. "Gina!"

All in under a heartbeat, I turn around, dreading the confrontation that is to come, but rather than say anything else, Nini takes my face in her hands and kisses me. It's strong and sudden like a chemical reaction, heating and rising and accelerating, pushing my every muscle into her. It's a desire, heightened and satisfied before I can even process it. It's the way her body fits with mine, and how my hands lock her in, keeping her close even after our lips part. 

"Was that real?" I whisper. 

She smiles. "I hope so."

And then I remember that we're not inside. We're on the porch and visible to all our friends in the yard. 

The first person to stop gawking and say something is Seb who just says in his soft, sweet voice, "Aww, that's cute."

The rest of the group piggybacks onto that, all commenting about the two of us, and Nini returns her eyes to me as her fingers trace down my wrists and lace through my hands.

"We are cute," she says with a little shrug, and that makes me smile. 

"I whole-heartedly agree."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's the end. I rewrote it several times before finishing with this one. I hope you all like it. Thank you for taking the time to read this story. Please don't hesitate to comment and tell me things you want me to write in the future. I can't guarantee I'll write them, but I like to know what you guys want so that I can try to cater to you. Thanks! Bye!


End file.
